Adventure therapy, is focused toward challenging activities and exercises that will allow clients to overcome obstacles, experience powerful emotions and practice coping skills in a real-life practical setting. Adventure therapy activities are emotionally, cognitively and physically challenging for the client. Clients will learn about themselves and about each other. They will learn about cooperation and communication. But more importantly, they will be given a chance to have fun and to feel human again. This is often a feeling that cannot be overrated.

During an adventure experience, clients may find themselves facing some of the same emotional triggers they used to experience while in active addiction. Fortunately for them, they will not be alone as we deliver our programs in a group setting, this allows clients to engage in especially designed activities together, so that they may work on such vital character attributes as honesty, communication, and the ability to put faith in others.

Adventure therapy encompasses varying techniques and environments to elicit change. These include high adrenaline activities such as rock climbing, coasteering, canoeing, or more chilled, cooperative activities like cave challenge, bushcraft, canoeing, or even wild camping trips and residentials.

Research suggests that adventure therapy has the capacity to increase the patient’s self-perception, self-control, and self-efficacy. The latter finding is especially important as these intra-personal elements are a major facet of addiction recovery.

Skills deficits are addressed, a sense of community is built up within the group, especially complimenting a community reinforcement approach to recovery.

It has also been determined that adventure therapy can help to decrease clients’ anxiety. There is usually a level of real or perceived risk involved in adventure activities, so it is common that clients will have to learn how to face and overcome fears during our programs. If we consider that that anxiety is one of the major co-occurring disorders associated with addiction, the potential benefits of adventure therapy is obvious.